The Darkness Within
by Sonata IX
Summary: Takes place after the second movie. Those once possessed by evil are more easily drawn in again... [Christy&DarkHeart]


Author's Notes: Your average Labyrinth writer stepping into another world for a bit. Why am I writing Care Bears fanfiction?! What's wrong with me??? Well, see, I had this dream...and we go from there. :) This feels a little fast-paced to me and the language seems a little goofy and the sheer cheesiness of it at some points makes me shudder, but...considering how children's shows usually are, I think it's probably really just about right. Written quickly, to get the blasted thing out of my head...with minor revisions for consistency.

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Kevin Darrart was older than he looked.

Only a few years ago he had been a creature of darkness, an evil spirit with no humanity inside him. His name had been Dark Heart and he had been consumed with the desire to destroy the Care Bears and rid the world of caring.

One girl had changed all that: Christy Kelling.

Through her, it had been possible for him to become human. A _good_ human. Through her, he had learned how to care.

Resting his chin on his hands, he sighed softly. He was sitting on the steps of his front porch, watching the sunset. His life had changed so dramatically since he met Christy. Sometimes he felt like his existence as Dark Heart was just a bad dream.

Other times, like tonight, he wondered if he couldn't have kept some of his extraordinary abilities without remaining evil.

"Of course you can..." The words were barely a whisper. An ordinary person might have dismissed the voice as imaginary, but Kevin had too much experience with the supernatural. "You can have all that and more..."

He looked around, startled. "Who's there?" he demanded.

A blue cloud, not red or green as he had halfway expected, coalesced before him. Kevin jumped to his feet and backed away from the thing. "Don't be afraid," it whispered in a purring, feminine voice.

"I...I'm not afraid," he told the cloud. It swirled closer, circling around him as it studied him.

"So much wasted potential," it murmured regretfully. "So this is what you've become...Kevin _Dar-art_." The voice drew his last name out, making it clear that it understood who he had been in the past. Darrart. Dark Heart. It had been Christy's idea, slurring his old name to make a new one; though she was mostly joking, he had decided it suited him. "I can offer you great power..."

Kevin crossed his arms and looked away from the cloud with a disdainful snort. "I don't want it!"

"Oh I think you do," it told him.

The cloud dissolved into a pulsing blue light and he couldn't help but _feel_ the energy that was emanating from it. His mind refused to listen but his body remembered. It drank in the light as if starved and Kevin felt his arms lifting unconsciously, reaching toward the pulsing glow. It was calling to him so strongly...he could feel it flowing through him without even accepting it.

"Take it!" the voice urged.

He turned his head toward the voice, features slack and eyes dull from the rush of power. "What...do you want...in...return?" he asked slowly, struggling to string the words together, his thoughts as cloudy as the creature itself.

The cloud hissed in delight. It swirled around him. "A vessel..."

"A...vessel?" Kevin hesitated.

"Don't worry," the cloud reassured him, "You won't even know I'm there." If it could have grinned slyly, it would have.

The ball of light pulsed and Kevin groaned in ecstasy. He _had_ missed the feel of magic and now it was rising to meet him so swiftly that he could hardly bear it.

"Yes!" he gasped, plunging his hands into the ball of light. "_Yes!_"

The cloud cackled evilly and dissolved into the boy's body. Soon it was Kevin's evil laughter that echoed across the yard.

From the shadows, a small figure was watching fearfully. Tenderheart Bear had arrived just in time to catch the tail end of the conversation.

"Oh no! I've got to warn Christy!" he muttered, jumping to his feet and running for his cloud car.

A shadow loomed over him and then Kevin floated down from the air to land between Tenderheart and his escape. "Kevin, what are you doing?" the bear asked urgently.

Kevin's eyes glowed blue. "Kevin? I'm _Dark Heart_!" He shot a bolt of blue lightning at the bear, who vanished in a puff of smoke.

With a sinister laugh, Dark Heart walked into his house.

----------

Christy was giddy. She paced to the window and away, then back again. Her hands twisted in her auburn hair, then smoothed it and flipped it over her shoulders irritably.

Seated at the kitchen table behind her, her two best friends Dawn and John exchanged glances and smothered giggles.

"He's not late _yet_, Christy," Dawn said.

Christy turned away from the window, pretending that she hadn't been looking out of it for the hundredth time. "Oh, I know," she replied with false nonchalance. "It's just..." Her hands gestured limply. "...do I look okay?"

"You look great!" John added soothingly. Christy turned to him with a hopeful expression.

"Really?"

"Of course!" His eyes appraised her. Christy had matured over the last few years. Though she was still most likely to be seen sporting tomboyish shorts and a casual tee with her trademark purple baseball cap, tonight she was wearing a skirt with a pair of low-heeled pumps. Her tanned skin glowed against the pale, delicate fabric of her blouse. She was clearly uncomfortable, but she looked amazing.

The twins had changed as well. Their hair had grown lighter with age rather than darker as so many blondes did. It was thick and full, causing girls to shoot envious looks at Dawn and fall head-over-heels for John. Dawn had let hers grow long and straight down her back and usually wore two small braids at either temple, pulled back from her face to keep the lengthy locks out of her way. Dawn played softball (likewise, John played baseball) and the twins had slightly muscular builds, though neither was considered as sporty as Christy.

The three had remained close friends along with Kevin, the former Dark Heart. In fact, it was Kevin that Christy was so anxiously awaiting. Kevin had adapted to being a normal person quickly in some areas, but painfully slow in others. It had been clear from the start that the two had a special relationship, but Kevin hadn't known how to proceed and this was one area Christy couldn't teach him. After so many long years, he'd finally managed to ask her out on a date.

"Oooh where is he?" Christy hmphed impatiently. The twins merely exchanged amused glances.

Ten minutes later they weren't amused anymore. Twenty minutes later _they_ were starting to get nervous. It wasn't like Kevin to be late. Christy had quit pacing and was slumped against the window, her arms folded across her chest as she glared out at the darkening street.

Thirty minutes later she threw up her arms and grabbed her jacket. "That's it! I'm going to find him."

The twins glanced at each other worriedly. "We'll go with you," they said as one, rising from the table.

"No," Christy stopped them. "He's my date."

A moment later they heard the door slam.

John looked at Dawn. Dawn looked at John. The sighed simultaneously and then smiled at each other. "Let's go after her," they agreed.

Christy had taken off running towards Kevin's house and the twins set off after her, but they hadn't gone very far before they were stopped by a shout from the sky. "Dawn! John!"

They paused, panting for breath, and scanned the sky. "Look!" Dawn pointed.

A fluffy cloud car pulled up beside them. John recognized the two bears within. "Share Bear! Cheer Bear! What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you," Cheer Bear said.

The twins looked at each other. "For us?"

Share Bear nodded. "Tenderheart went out hours ago and hasn't come back. We think he went to Kevin's!"

"Kevin's!" John exclaimed.

Dawn groaned. "Oh no! We need to catch Christy!"

"Hop in!" Cheer Bear nodded. "We'll give you a lift."

----------

Christy arrived at Kevin's house after night had fully fallen. She paused at the foot of the driveway and took a deep breath. "Ooh he better have a good reason!" she fumed to herself. She stalked determinedly up the walk to the front door and raised her fist to knock, but the door swung open before she could touch it.

Blue light pulsed from within and ghostly hands reached for her. She gasped and stumbled backwards but it was too late. The hands grabbed her tightly, muffling her screams as they pulled her inside. The door shut behind her with a bang.

She barely caught a glimpse of the rest of the house as she was pulled through it. The formerly warm and cheerful decorations looked dark and sinister. She was pulled through a hidden doorway and into a tunnel underneath the house. Christy's heart sank. She had seen these halls before...in Dark Heart's lair!

Sure enough, the hands dropped her in the throne room and she landed with a thud on the cold stone floors.

"Christy!" Hands helped her to her feet and she looked up to see...eyes that glowed with unearthly blue light. Pulling her arm free, she backed away from her friend.

"Your eyes!"

He looked briefly puzzled. "What? Oh, that...that's nothing." He gestured dismissively and his eyes faded back to their normal brown shade. He grinned at Christy but she just edged farther away.

"Kevin? What's happened to you?" she asked tremulously.

"Nothing!" His voice had changed. Someone who didn't know him might not have noticed, but Christy did. It had that old arrogance back, the hint of something sinister that had always been in his speech back when he was-

"Dark Heart!" she gasped in comprehension.

"In the flesh," he said with a satisfied grin. "And look, I'm as good as new!"

He snapped his fingers and turned into a giant cat, which leaped towards Christy with a great pounce. She flinched but it merely twined around her legs lovingly. In a puff of smoke, Dark Heart was standing before her again, only inches away.

"And look!" he said again, and with another snap of his fingers the two of them floated up into the air. Christy gave a startled squeak and grabbed Dark Heart's arm. He laughed as she clung to him and set him back on the floor.

"But what about _Kevin_? What about your feelings?" she asked.

"Feelings? Oh, I've got plenty of those," he said with a smirk. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders he waved his other arm in a wide circle. Three colored bears appeared in puffs of smoke and tumbled to the ground.

Christy was shocked. "Tenderheart?" The bear climbed to his feet. Behind him were Funshine Bear and Grumpy Bear, who had been captured while trying to rescue him.

"Christy, you have to get out of here!" Tenderheart warned, then shrank away as Dark Heart towered of him.

"I don't think so," he said coldly. A strange look came over his face and then he smiled. "Ah, but we have more company!" They all turned towards the shadowed hallway just as John and Dawn tumbled in, followed by two more bears. They landed in a dizzy pile.

"Cheer Bear! Share Bear!" Tenderheart called, just as Christy yelled, "John! Dawn!"

"Christy!" the twins cried in unison.

The group untangled itself, but a gust of blue smoky wind separated the children from the bears. Christy found herself pulled forward with the twins while the five bears were shoved into the background and forgotten. Dark Heart didn't seem to notice when the five furry heads came together to converse quietly. "Meddlesome bears," he muttered as he turned away.

Dark Heart had set up a cozy little area for his friends. There was a fireplace set into the stone wall with a fire blazing briefly. A comfy armchair sat to one side of it and an oak table on the other side. Dark Heart threw himself into the chair and gave his guests a curious look. "Well, have a seat. What's wrong with all of you?"

The three children were staring at him in horror. "What wrong with _us_?" John asked in disbelief. "What's wrong with _you_?"

"Nothing! I can have anything I wish." Dark Heart snapped. He jumped to his feet. "I wish for rain." Thunder rumbled inside the room and water poured from the ceiling before stopping at a gesture from Dark Heart. "I wish for food." The table was suddenly heavily laden with all sorts of delicacies and desserts. "I wish for flowers for my love." A gorgeous bouquet of roses appeared in his hands and he offered it to Christy with a flourish.

Christy beamed. "Oh, you do love me!" she gushed, accepting the flowers. She had eyes only for Dark Heart, but John and Dawn noticed some unusual action in the corner of the room. The care bears were gesturing towards the darkened hallway. Staring into the shadows, the twins noticed movement. Bear-shaped shadows were moving closer and the bright orange of Braveheart Lion's mane was visible.

Reinforcements! The Care Bears and Care Bear Cousins were here in force. John nudged Dawn and she moved surreptitiously around the table, presumably studying the food. She positioned herself so she was blocking Dark Heart's view of the corridor.

John turned his attention to Christy. She was looking at Dark Heart with hearts in her eyes and he was looking at her like...a tasty morsel. John grabbed her arm, pulling her back. "Don't listen to him, Christy. He doesn't care about you...he can't! He's a creature of darkness." He glared at Dark Heart.

Dark Heart glared back. "I wish you'd-"

"Don't!" Christy stepped in front of John. There were tears shimmering in her eyes. "You're not a bad person," she told Dark Heart, echoing the words she'd said to him years ago. He hesitated for a moment, staring at her uncertainly.

Then the arrogant grin returned and he said, "I wish you to give me a kiss." Christy's face flushed.

Her first kiss. She had thought about it, of course. Imagined what it would be like...what it would be like to kiss Kevin... She met his eyes wistfully, but all she saw there was arrogance.

Mockingly, he held his hand out for her to kiss.

Her face flushed even darker. Of course, _Dark Heart_ considered her below him. He was only teasing her. She scowled at him but he merely grinned and waggled his fingers at her.

"You _don't_ love me!" Christy cried. She whirled to run but John caught her. She buried her face in his shoulder.

John glared at the taller boy. "What's wrong with you? I thought you cared about Christy, but all you're doing is hurting her. Just like last time."

Dark Heart paused. Christy twisted in John's arms to look at him. His face slackened momentarily and then became deadly serious. "I wish my one true love would kiss me," he said with quiet intensity. This time, he held out his hand palm up, waiting for her to take it.

Christy turned away, confused. She found herself looking at Dawn, who was watching something on the other side of the room. Dawn turned and her eyes met Christy's. She smiled reassuringly.

His phrasing caught her attention. Would it be like a fairy tale, where a kiss from one's "one true love" could break the evil curse? Could she free him from the evil that controlled his now? Things didn't really work like that...did they?

Well, why not? Stranger things have happened, Christy thought.

Christy pulled away from John and faced Dark Heart again. "Oh, you _do_ love me!" she cried. She reached for his hand and this time John didn't stop her. She looked into Dark Heart's eyes and saw no evil, only intense concentration.

She let him draw her forward. His eyes were on her lips. Clearly he was not planning for a kiss on the hand this time. Her heart was pounding. They were only a hairs-breadth apart now.

Suddenly John yelled, "Get down!" There was a crash from behind her.

Then, "Care Bears...STARE!"

Christy screamed as Dark Heart forcibly shoved her away from him. She crashed to the ground and lifted her head to see him thrown across the room by the full force of the Stare. He crumpled against the stairs, his body writhing in pain and all but obscured by the bright lights.

"No! What have you done?" Christy wailed. She scrambled to her feet and stumbled towards Dark Heart. The tall, robed figure had vanished, leaving something small and squirming. The Care Bears rushed forward just a Christy picked up the bundle. They skidded to a halt in surprise, causing the Cousins, who had been close on their heels, to stumble into them.

Braveheart Lion ended up near the front. He gaped at Christy. "A...baby?" He and Tenderheart looked at each other in shock.

Tears streamed down Christy's face. She was imagining her future with Kevin. Changing his diapers, taking him to pre-school, babysitting...sure, she could still give him kisses, but they would be motherly in nature.

"Yes, a baby," a voice said from behind them. The crowd parted respectfully to reveal True Heart Bear and Noble Heart Horse. True Heart was wearing a sweater similar to the one Grams Bear always wore and Noble Heart carried a cane, but otherwise they looked hale and hearty. True Heart stepped forward and took the baby from Christy's arms.

"Thank you, Christy," she said in her soft voice. "Thanks to you, we've been able to truly cleanse Dark Heart of evil. This time, Kevin _will_ be a real boy."

Christy sniffled. "But-"

"Don't worry," Noble Heart added, patting her arm. "You won't have to wait for him to grow up!"

"Care Bears!" True Heart called, placing one hand on the baby.

"Care Bear Cousins!" Noble Heart echoed, mimicking True Heart's stance.

The bears and cousins grinned at each other and quickly formed a circle.

John and Dawn edged over next to Christy. "W...what are they doing?" she asked them. The twins shook their heads. They were mystified as well.

True Heart and Noble Heart lifted their free hands skyward.

Noble Heart looked around the circle. "All together now!"

True Heart nodded. "One...two...THREE!"

As one, all the bears and cousins closed their eyes and roared, "WE..._CARE_!"

The children watched in awe. It was like seeing a Care Bear Stare and Cousin Call all rolled into one and channeled through True Heart and Noble Heart. The pair glowed like small suns with baby Kevin at their center. Finally the children had to shield their eyes.

When they could see again, the twins saw that the bears and cousins had slumped to the floor, all looking exhausted. Christy gave a delighted cry.

Lying on the floor, cradled in True Heart and Noble Heart's arms, was Kevin exactly as they knew him, from his age to his height to the confused look on his face that they had come so accustomed to over the years. He sat up slowly, just in time to catch Christy as she threw herself into his arms.

"I'm so sorry," he told her. "I let that...thing...take control of me." Christy just shook her head and hugged him tighter.

Noble Heart patted him on the arm. "Don't worry about it," he said. "It wasn't entirely your fault either."

"But from now one, we'll make sure you don't have to worry about such evil things ever again!" True Heart added.

Kevin looked startled, then smiled weakly. "Thank you...my friends," he said quietly.

Christy beamed. "We _are_ your friends," she affirmed, looking to Dawn and John for confirmation. The twins grinned back.

Kevin caught Christy's chin in his hand, bringing her attention back to him. Her eyes met his and she was struck by the peacefulness and contentment she'd never seen there before. She touched his cheek gently and smiled. "I love you," she mouthed silently.

Kevin smiled and pulled her close. "I _do_ love you," he said fervently, finally claiming her lips with his own. "I _do_!"


End file.
